


The Book Wyrm

by grace017



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Baker Betty Cooper, Beloved, Betty Cooper & Toni Topaz Friendship, Character Death, Domestic Betty Cooper, Established Relationship, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff, Improved Southside, Jughead Jones Needs a Hug, Memories, One Shot, POV Jughead Jones, Parent Death, Serpent King Jughead, Trauma, Whyte Wyrm, bookworms, bughead - Freeform, renovation, southside
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 01:31:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16776940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grace017/pseuds/grace017
Summary: Following his father's death, Jughead Jones now has responsibility of the 'Whyte Wyrm' along with most of the Southside. But as long as he has Betty by his side, he believes he can do anything.





	The Book Wyrm

**Author's Note:**

> *WARNING*  
> Reference to alcohol abuse and implied alcohol poisoning
> 
> Hi guys,  
> This is my first piece so apologies for it being all over the place and for any errors! I'm still figuring all of this out.  
> I'm even more sorry for killing FP but I hope you'll forgive that.  
> I wanted a nice set up for this sweet one-shot that focuses on Jughead and Betty and how they've built a life together.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it, please let me know what you think!

In the dusk of an early Monday morning, Jughead stood in the deserted car park of what was once the Whyte Wyrm. Life had never exactly been kind to him, but the past decade had been particularly cruel.

After battling through the constant ups and downs of alcoholism, his father had eventually fallen victim of the lifestyle attached to gangs and the Southside. It had been 6 years since the night Jughead had returned home to the trailer to find the body of his father slumped face-down on the kitchen floor. The stench of whisky lingered in the air and the number of empty bottles on the counter was alarming. Cutting through his moment of pure shock, Jughead had tried his best to bring his father back to consciousness, but FP’s body was already cold and motionless. As soon as the blue flashing lights of the ambulance were whisking him away, the paramedics had told Jughead that it didn’t look good. FP’s patient history was enough to tell anyone that his liver wouldn’t have been able to take much more.

It took 5 weeks of living with Betty at the Cooper’s family home and a whole rollercoaster of emotions before Jughead plucked up the courage to return to the trailer and sort through his father’s belongings. The question of _why_ was running in constant circles round his head. _Why_ had his father turned back to drinking? _Why_ hadn’t he asked anyone for help? _Why_ did know one notice? _Why_ did _he_ not notice?

Jughead found the answers to most of his questions when he found an envelope stuffed full of small handwritten notes hidden in a pillowcase on FP’s bed.

* * * _(6 years earlier)_

_Papers scattered around him on the floor. Threats. Death threats. Each containing graphic descriptions of what they would do to FP’s precious, newly minted ‘Serpent King’, and some even mentioning the ‘Northsider Queen’. At the bottom of each note was the unmistakable skull used as a tag by the Ghoulies. Hell, some were even signed explicitly by Penny herself._

_He’d stayed strong until that point, but the realisation that it was his own safety and wellbeing that dragged his dad back to alcohol hit Jughead like a ton of bricks. There was nothing he could do to fix it. Nothing he could do to bring his dad back._

_He screamed into the emptiness of the dark trailer as his hands fisted through his hair in desperation. Penny and the fucking Ghoulies? His dad had been doing so well in rebuilding a good life for himself after his last stint in prison. All of that had come crashing down because Penny was using Jughead as bait, knowing she would get a reaction._

_Every snake has their soft underbelly after all._

_A few moments later, he lifted his head to the sound of someone knocking on the trailer’s window._

_“Jug, you okay in there?” He heard Toni shout whilst trying to peek through the slits in the blind._

_He dropped his head back into his hands and silently wished she would leave. What he didn’t expect was for Betty to burst through the trailer door no more than five minutes later._

_“Juggie” She breathed, rushing to sit at his side._

_He followed her gaze to the horrifying threats on the papers that littered the carpet and he froze. She was the last person he wanted to see the notes but he found himself too numb to move. Instead he sat staring, his breath growing heavier as both fear and anger cooked up a storm in the pit of his stomach._

_All it took was her touch to bring him back to reality. That familiar feeling of her warm hands slowly melting away the anxiety that had built up in his shoulders. One of her hands travelled to his jaw, gently pulling his gaze back to her. As her thumb wiped away the tears rolling down his face, he chanced a look into her eyes._

_She swallowed heavily before whispering “You can’t blame yourself, Jug. That is not what your dad would’ve wanted.”_

_Yet again, Jughead made it through another day owing everything to her. And he guessed some part of this one was down to Toni too. It amazed him how fast those girls were able to communicate, like damn near impossible, speed-of-light fast._

* * *

Letting out a small sigh that he noted was visible in front of his nose thanks to the cold November weather, Jughead fumbled around in the pockets of his jacket and pulled out a ring of keys. He glanced up at the sign above his head as his hand wrapped around the heavy steel handle of the front door. The cursive script stared back at him, spelling out ‘The Book Wyrm’ in the most delicate style.

Although he was grateful that his dad had left everything to him, Jughead couldn’t help but feel the bittersweet sting of having to lose him to get it. If he had the choice he would have his father back over having the deed to the Whyte Wyrm with no hesitation. But that wasn’t an option.

Over the past few years the Southside had seen countless changes that changed the neighborhood for the better, all thanks to Jughead’s leadership. Local businesses were thriving and families were able to settle in safer houses now that all unlawful gang activity had been cleared from the streets.

As for the Whyte Wyrm, or now the _Book Wyrm_ , things had improved tenfold. It seemed Jughead swooped in at just the right time to save the bar from collapsing (both physically and financially). What once was a run down bar filled with thugs and dodgy dealers had been transformed into a work of art, if he did say so himself. But it wasn’t just down to him - every inch of the place now screamed with so much Betty-ness that he couldn’t help the grin that took over his face as he pushed through the doors every day.

Now it took on a whole new identity along with a whole new clientele. With the flick of a switch, Jughead admired the soft warm glow of fairy lights that twinkled along the bookshelves lining every wall, even venturing up to the collections of bottles lined along the top. What once held the poison that led to his father’s demise now contained the glimmering dots of light.

The Book Wyrm cafe had been a roaring success from the start. With their combined efforts, Jughead and Betty had set up a reading cafe, with Jughead calling Fred Andrews and his construction company to help them out with refurbishing the joint and Betty in charge of baking all the goods and balancing the check books. In reality he probably owed all the success to her and her baking skills. He had no doubt that that’s what kept the customers coming back.

In the small spaces where books didn’t cover the walls, photos hung in various photo frames that Betty had collected over the years. From old black and white photos found packed away in FP’s trailer, to the reams of family photos they had been subjected to sitting through as Betty’s mom had gushed over the memories fondly. There was one of him, Betty and Archie all grinning in the Northside play park at only 5 years old, positioned right next to a photo of the trio at their high school graduation. Each told a story about them or their family and friends. Jughead found himself smiling every time he looked at the photo of a younger Alice Cooper baking in her kitchen with two small blonde girls laughing happily as they sat on the counter top, faces dusted with flour and tiny hands gripping at a big wooden spoon. Scanning the rest of the photos, he stopped at the largest one. A black and white shot of FP, looking over his shoulder at the camera with smoke circling out of the cigarette hanging from his mouth.

* * * _(9 years earlier)_

_*click* *click*_

_Jughead adjusted the angle of his lens, trying to figure out how to focus his new camera properly._

_“Boy, I didn’t get you that thing so that I could become a model.” FP snapped as he looked back over his shoulder._

_*click*_

_Jughead pulled back from the viewfinder with a smirk tugging at his lips. Chuckling at his father’s short temper, he stood up from his position crouched on the ground._

_“You’re gonna love me for this one dad. Look.” He turned the camera towards FP “At least you can add being badass biker model to your CV” Jughead laughed, nudging his dad’s shoulder playfully._

_The sound of light footsteps crunching on the gravel behind him quietly came closer._

_“Perfect timing.” FP sighed as he nodded over Jughead’s shoulder and smiled widely “Now I’m sure she fits the brief better than I do.”_

_Jughead turned to see Betty approaching them, her beautiful smile lighting up the dingy trailer park. Both of the Jones men had tried and failed to not mirror the happiness that the youngest Cooper girl radiated. It seemed she had become a light in both of their lives and Jughead loved her even more for it. How he had managed to hold onto a ray of sunshine like her he’d never know._

* * *

Jughead was roused from his thoughts as the door opened across the bar. Betty stumbled in to the space, arms overloaded with ingredients to get a start on the day’s baking.

_His_ little ray of sunshine.

Closing the space between them quickly, he reached out to grab two of the heavy bags of flour from her grasp before dropping a light kiss to the top of her head.

“Thank you” Betty smiled as he followed her through the back doors into the kitchen.

“So..” Jughead started, but offered nothing more.

Betty placed her ingredients down on the side and slowly turned to face him, her eyebrows arching up in question.

“So?” She prompted.

“Toni was asking for new cocktail suggestions last night but I wasn’t much help.” He replied.

Betty tilted her head slightly.

“Oh okay, not what I was expecting” she smirked.

“And what exactly were you expecting?” Jughead asked suspiciously, moving towards her to place the bags of flour down. When she didn’t reply he reached across and softly tucked her hair behind her ear, resting his hand on her shoulder and rubbing delicate circles with his thumb. “Hmm?”

“ _That_ is what I was expecting Jug, we agreed not to risk anything at work again after my mom walked in on us the last time” He could see the blush staining her cheeks at the memory as she shrugged his hand off of her shoulder.

“Okay, it wasn’t our smartest move” He laughed, taking a slight step back but reaching out to hold onto her hand. Gently planting a kiss on each knuckle, he looked back up at Betty to find her staring adoringly at him. “So, my love, if you could create one drink.. with absolutely anything in the world in it, what would it be?”

When night falls on the Southside, the Book Wyrm is still home to the Serpents. The smell of coffee and freshly baked muffins is quickly drowned out by the smell of beer, whisky and cigarettes. Toni ramped up the service at the bar, creating a cocktail menu worthy of those Manhattan greats. Keeping in line with their theme, the drinks list acts as a small nod to the literature that now covers the walls of the bar.

Additions such as _Gin Cold Blood_ and their bestseller _Tequila Mockingbird_ help to tie the two facades, day and night, together. Jughead likens the contrast of the cafe and the bar to Betty and himself - that classic notion of light and dark, Northside and Southside. But the Book Wyrm has become a home to both sides, bringing everyone together in the way only Betty seems to have mastered.

After a long and busy Monday, Betty hung up her apron and took her coat down from the peg beside it. On her way out of the bar she stopped to tell Toni she was leaving for the night but to call if she needed anything, and that Jughead should be over to help out soon anyway.

At the bar she was met with a pair of wide brown eyes and a bright pink drink pushed in her direction. It looked strangely similar to the milkshakes that she practically grew up on at Pop’s. This one, however, had swirls of vibrant pink inside and a sugar coated rim that she’d never seen at her childhood favourite diner.

“You two are beyond adorable” Toni smiled as she plunged a straw into the concoction, turning it towards Betty. “Don’t change.” She added, and with a wink she moved down the bar to carry on serving customers.

Betty stared at the drink in front of her in total confusion. Looking around the bar she saw the same drink dotted around various tables, with customers happily sipping away. She turned to the end of the bar and saw the new addition to their ‘Book of the Month’ board: _Beloved_ by Toni Morrison - Betty’s all time favourite. She smiled to herself as she picked up one of the newly printed drink menus scattered along the bar. Only he could’ve known.

Sure enough, he had added a new drink to Toni’s list. A strawberry-vanilla milkshake spiked with a vodka shot and swirled with a berry liqueur, aptly labelled _My Beloved._


End file.
